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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. present — the time now
  4. mate — to breed
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bass — low music
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. ball — a dance
  10. bass — the fish
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. present — a gift
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. mate — a friend
  18. ball — a great time
  19. wind — moving air
  20. present — there
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. wind — moving air
  24. jam — to spread on bread

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com